Drought Dynamics and Vegetation Productivity in Different Land Management Systems of Eastern Cape, South Africa—A Remote Sensing Perspective

Valerie Graw, Gohar Ghazaryan, Karen Dall, Andoni Delgado Gómez, Ayman Abdel-Hamid, Andries Jordaan, Ruben Piroska, Joachim Post, Jörg Szarzynski, Yvonne Walz and Olena Dubovyk
Additional contact information
Valerie Graw: Center for Remote Sensing of Land Surfaces, University of Bonn, Walter-Flex-Straße 3, 53113 Bonn, Germany
Gohar Ghazaryan: Center for Remote Sensing of Land Surfaces, University of Bonn, Walter-Flex-Straße 3, 53113 Bonn, Germany
Karen Dall: Institute for Environment and Human Security, United Nations University, Platz der Vereinten Nationen 1, 53113 Bonn, Germany
Andoni Delgado Gómez: Center for Remote Sensing of Land Surfaces, University of Bonn, Walter-Flex-Straße 3, 53113 Bonn, Germany
Ayman Abdel-Hamid: Center for Remote Sensing of Land Surfaces, University of Bonn, Walter-Flex-Straße 3, 53113 Bonn, Germany
Andries Jordaan: Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa, University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa
Ruben Piroska: Center for Remote Sensing of Land Surfaces, University of Bonn, Walter-Flex-Straße 3, 53113 Bonn, Germany
Joachim Post: United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER), Platz der Vereinten Nationen 1, 53113 Bonn, Germany
Jörg Szarzynski: Institute for Environment and Human Security, United Nations University, Platz der Vereinten Nationen 1, 53113 Bonn, Germany
Yvonne Walz: Institute for Environment and Human Security, United Nations University, Platz der Vereinten Nationen 1, 53113 Bonn, Germany
Olena Dubovyk: Center for Remote Sensing of Land Surfaces, University of Bonn, Walter-Flex-Straße 3, 53113 Bonn, Germany

Sustainability, 2017, vol. 9, issue 10, 1-19

Abstract: Eastern Cape Province in South Africa has experienced extreme drought events during the last decade. In South Africa, different land management systems exist belonging to two different land tenure classes: commercial large scale farming and communal small-scale subsistence farming. Communal lands are often reported to be affected by land degradation and drought events among others considered as trigger for this process. Against this background, we analyzed vegetation response to drought in different land management and land tenure systems through assessing vegetation productivity trends and monitoring the intensity, frequency and distribution of the drought hazard in grasslands and communal and commercial croplands during drought and non-drought conditions. For the observation period 2000–2016, we used time series of 250 m Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) based on the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and Climate Hazard Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS) precipitation data with 5 km resolution. For the assessment of vegetation dynamics, we: (1) analyzed vegetation productivity in Eastern Cape over the last 16 years with EVI; (2) analyzed the impact of drought events on vegetation productivity in grasslands as well as commercial and communal croplands; and (3) compared precipitation-vegetation dynamics between the drought season 2015/2016 and the non-drought season 2011/2012. Change in total annual vegetation productivity could detect drought years while drought dynamics during the season could be rather monitored by the VCI. Correlation of vegetation condition and precipitation indicated areas experiencing significant vegetation productivity trends showing low and even negative correlation coefficients indicating other drivers for productivity change and drought impact besides rainfall.

Keywords: drought hazard monitoring; remote sensing; land degradation; vegetation condition index; land management systems; land tenure; South Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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